Silica glass interaction with calcium hydroxide: a surface chemistry approach

Abstract The study of the interaction between silica glass and saturated Ca(OH) 2 solutions can be a useful approach to resolve the problem of the adhesion between lime-sand mortar and clay bricks. Since it is reasonable that the silica–calcium hydroxide system well simulates a brick–mortar system, experimental observations concerning the interaction of silica glass and this strong basic solution should be of value for the comprehension of the chemical reactions that could take place at the mortar–brick interface, maybe affecting the adhesion between the two building materials. We demonstrated the effects of saturated Ca(OH) 2 solutions on commercial pure silica glass (fused silica) and on silica films obtained via a sol–gel process by means of dip-coating. Silica samples were dipped in the solutions at different temperatures (room temperature, 60 and 80 °C) and at different time intervals (1 and 21 h) and then they were analysed by means of surface techniques: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It has been shown that Ca(OH) 2 reacts with the silica glass network. The experimental results clearly show a very different behaviour of sol–gel silica with respect to fused silica, probably because of their different nanostructure. Many problems concerning the interaction of silica and Ca(OH) 2 are still to be solved, but the results of this research strengthen the idea that adhesion between lime-sand mortar and clay bricks is caused not only by carbonation of calcium hydroxide contained in the mortar, but even by some chemical reactions involving the brick constituents and calcium hydroxide itself. The final products, calcium silicates, may induce a chemical continuity between lime-sand mortar and clay bricks.